The Police Department is proud to offer a Citizens' Police Academy to the Newport Beach community. This engaging and informative program is designed to increase understanding of the Police Department's operations and to allow community members the opportunity to interact with our outstanding personnel. Topics covered include SWAT, the K9 Program, CSI, Dispatch, narcotics, traffic laws, firearms, detective investigations, and much more.

Students will participate in informative classroom-style presentations as well as pratical demonstrations with a variety of Police Department personnel. Activites include a police facility tour, a jail tour, a simulated car stop exercise, firearms instruction in the shooting range, fingerprinting and crime scene investigation, and a community-oriented policing challenge. Each student will also be given the opportunity to go on one four-hour ride-along with a Police Officer during the course of the Academy.

Instructors are drawn from all areas in the Department. Students meet the Chief of Police, managers, supervisors, patrol officers, detectives, dispatchers, and other department employees. We encourage students to ask questions and express their concerns about pertinent issues. A major goal of the Citizens' Police Academy is to increase understanding between our citizens and the Police Department, and to enhance the strong relationships we have with the community.

While the Academy will give students a better understanding of how the Police Department is organized, the services we provide, and how we serve the community, it is not based on a traditional police academy. The program is not designed to prepare students to be police officers or provide training in the field of law enforcement. A typical Citizens' Academy class is made up of 24 students of all age groups, and instructors will accomodate any physical limitations.

Successful graduation of the Citizens' Police Academy is a pre-requisite for the Department's Volunteers in Policing Program.

Schedule

The Academy is 12 weeks long, with one three-hour class each Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The Academy culminates in a graduation ceremony in Week 12, which friends and family are welcome to attend. All classes are held at the Police Department (870 Santa Barbara Drive).

Sessions are held twice a year: once in the spring and once in the fall. Upcoming Classes include:

Have no felony convictions, outstanding warrants, or pending criminal cases

All applicants will be required to submit to a criminal background check before acceptance into the Academy.

If you are intersted in joining us, submit an application today! Application forms are available at the Police Department's front desk, by mail on request, or through the link at the bottom of this page.

Completed applications must be returned to the the Community Relations office via email (jmanzella@nbpd.org), mail (Newport Beach Police Department, ATTN: Jennifer Manzella, 870 Santa Barbara Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660), or by hand at the front desk. After preliminary review to confirm eligibility, a list will be compiled and students will be assigned to the next available session.

For futher information, please contact Program Coordinator Jennifer Manzella at 949-644-3662 or jmanzella@nbpd.org.